Preoccupates

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To occupy or fill the mind with worry or concern before something happens or to an excessive degree
2. To engage the thoughts so thoroughly with anxiety or an idea that other matters are pushed aside
3. To seize the attention and thoughts so completely that one is distracted from present concerns

Etymology: "Preoccupates" is the third-person singular present form of "preoccupate," a verb that means the same thing as "preoccupy" and comes from the same Latin source. The verb is a direct borrowing from the past participle stem of Latin "praeoccupare," built from "prae-" meaning "before" and "occupare," meaning "to occupy" or "to seize." Literally, then, to preoccupy something is to take hold of it first, getting ahead of anyone else who might claim it. English thus ended up with two forms from one Latin verb: "preoccupy," which came in through the ordinary route of Latin-derived vocabulary, and "preoccupate," which kept closer to the Latin participle stem. Linguists call such pairs doublets, and they show how the same root can be absorbed twice, once through a familiar path and again in a more direct form. The two words share their core meaning of getting in first, and "preoccupates" simply shows that form in the present tense.

Synonyms: preoccupies, absorbs, engrosses, occupies